Stop Junk Mail Forever

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National Demographics & Lifestyles
Customer Service Department
1621 18th Street, #300
Denver, CO 80202
800-525,3533

Another Benefit (Ha) of Credit Cards

As you might expect, credit-card companies use their customer mailing lists to keep members informed about benefits and special events—as well as to market their own goods and services. They also let other companies send promotional materials to cardholders, either along with billing statements or through separate

mailings. If you're an American Express cardholder who wants a breather from all these promos, it's relatively easy. Ask Amex to remove your name from its directmarketing lists. You can opt out of the Amex in-house lists, the outside company lists, or both. Contact:

Customer Service
American Express
200 Vesey Street-Tower C
New York, NY 10285
800327-2177

To get your name removed from other credit-card companies' mailing lists, call or write the customer service office for each card—the address and phone number should be listed on your statement. If you have five MasterCards and eight Visas, all from different banks, you need to contact all 13, since neither MasterCard nor Visa has a central customer-service bureau. Note: When you write to a credit-card company, spend the extra dime, and put your request in a sealed envelope. Account numbers should never be publicly displayed.

Beware the Supermarket Scanner

Are you carrying around one of those plastic cards from your local supermarket that entitles you to loads of extra savings without clipping coupons? Think the store got you to apply for this card just to save you some money? Think again. Once the checkout clerk "swipes" your card, your name and address are linked to the items you just bought. It's another way to find out your buying "preferences," so the supermarket can put you on yet more mailing lists.

Magazines List and List

To make sure that your name isn't sold to a list broker when you subscribe to a magazine, enclose a note with your order requesting that your name be put on an "inhouse list ...only." After receiving the first issue, call the magazine's subscription department (the phone number will be listed within the first few pages of the magazine), to verify that your name has been omitted from any lists that get sold, rented, or traded. If you're already a subscriber, look for the magazine's change of address notice. Often, you'll find instructions there about how to "opt-out" of the mailing lists the magazine sells.

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